


(Old) beginnings

by No_coincidence_only_hitsuzen



Category: Bleach, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Kurosaki Ichigo, Ceiling Vent Clint Barton, Gen, Ichi-nii to the rescue, Ichigo does what he wants, Kurosaki Ichigo Needs a Hug, My First Fanfic, The Avengers Need a Hug, also ywach is not coming back, and goddamnit he will get it, anyway, but dont understimate his big brother qualities, fullbring what fullbring, get out of the vents goddamnit, he has gained some urahara like qualities, hes almost useless, i dont even know how to coax a beta to read my shit fic, i will ignore its existence, ichigo will take care of that, natasha you aint gonna find anything, no beta we die like the idiots we are, shakespeare nerd ichigo kurosaki, so is soul society, thanos is in for a surprise, which by the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24161248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_coincidence_only_hitsuzen/pseuds/No_coincidence_only_hitsuzen
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo has hadenough.It had been nearly 2 years since he lost his powers. 2 years since he lost his zangetsu (since he lost his hollow).Since he lost his soul.its time to move on and leave that god forsaken town. (and if he has two annoying swords, who are always bickering in his head, tagging along, well, he doesn't mind)----------------------------------------------------------------------------The Avengers have absolutely no idea that aforce of natureis about to enter their lives.they won't know what hit them  (and if that changes their life for the better, well, they're not complaining.)
Comments: 190
Kudos: 692





	1. an unexpected sign

**Author's Note:**

> okay lets get a few things straight.  
> 1\. English is not my first language. That being said i'll do my absolute best, but if i slip up a bit, go easy on me?  
> 2\. This is my first fic, so any and all comments are appreciated  
> 3\. Let me rephrase that. Please comment. I kind of need that feedback to not fall back into inactivity.  
> Okay! done. please enjoy

Chapter 1.

He has had _enough_.

It had been nearly 2 years since he lost his powers. 2 years since he lost his zangetsu ( _since he lost his hollow)._

Since he lost his _soul._

He didn’t regret it. Not for a minute. His sisters and friends were safe. _They were safe._

_Or were they?_

The immediate threat was gone and dealt with. But that’s exactly what it was. _Immediate._

Hollows were still prowling the streets, the remaining espada could be back for revenge, some new power-hungry maniac could be attacking soul society right now, but he wouldn’t know.

He couldn’t protect them anymore.

He didn’t _belong_ with them anymore.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew Karin was being trained to hunt hollows ( _in his place_ ). He knew his friends were avoiding him (the abrupt pause in their conversations and the pity in their eyes were sign enough). He knew that gotei 13 wasn’t so weak that they were still trying to organise themselves, they were a _military_ _organisation_ _for_ _god’s_ _sake._ His friends (were they really that? Wasn’t he just a weapon to them?) could have visited if they really wanted to. Yama-jii’s orders didn’t meant shit to most of them anyway.

And he didn’t even want to _think_ about the vizards. ‘ _family’_ his ass.

They didn’t come. They got their point across. They had _moved on. (without_ him)

It was time he did too.

So why was he hesitating? He should just leave, start a new life somewhere _other than Karakura._

_(his sisters would be_ devastated. _But he knows they don’t need him anymore._ Yuzu _is more spiritually aware than he is. He can’t do shit.)_

Even now, instead of making up his damn mind, he was pacing around his room. _Useless._

_‘Some sort of sign would be appreciated right about now’_

And then his leg _refused_ to move. So, like the graceful ~~warrior~~ _waste_ of space that he was, he faceplanted on the floor.

**_‘Sign enough asshole?’_ **

He didn’t even need to think to recognise _that_ voice.

_“Holl- Zangetsu?”_

Oh, he’d figured out alright. He had a lot of time on his hands to ponder on why the old man never _actually_ taught him some techniques. All that he knew was stabbed into him by his hollow.

Also, that quincy cross on his mother’s hand in that god forsaken poster was really difficult to ignore after actually noticing it. He can’t believe it took him that long to piece two and two together. Although he still didn’t know the actual story, it was painfully obvious that old man Zangetsu was _not Zangetsu at all._

That only left behind a bone white bloodthirsty maniac who practically _announced_ he was Zangetsu before promptly stabbing him. So yeah, he knew enough.

**_‘Hey you’re not that stupid. Huh. Colour me surprised. Yup, its me, the one and only.’_ **

_“but you’re not – how? I still can’t see ghosts- I thought I lost my powers!”_

**_‘not that easy to get rid of me, king. Your powers are too mixed up for them to just up and disappear like that. The final getsuga only took out the upper layer. It’ll regen-‘_ **

_“the- what? If that was only the top layer, why am I powerless? And where were you until now!? I-”_

**_“shut it, dipshit. You’re obviously gonna be powerless when all you had access to was the top layer. So, as I was saying before you went on yapping, its gonna regenerate. Meanwhile you gotta learn to tap into the rest. Maybe learn some fucking control, god knows you need it._ **

**_As to where I was, I was regenerating from that fucking stupid stunt you pulled, which by the way, was stupid. You basically whacked me awake from that little breakdown you were having.’_ **

Ichigo was absolutely stumped. He was so _relieved._ suddenly the hole in his chest didn’t feel so- hollow anymore. He wanted to say s _o much._ So, in all his Shakespeare nerd glory, he mumbled,

“I missed you, Zangetsu.”

Just as he was contemplating taking back his words, he felt as if someone ruffled his hair. Startled, he looked up.

Nothin- did the air seem blurry?

**_“baby steps aibou. You can’t heal all that damage in a single day._ **

**_Come on, we start today and we start now. Let’s get your body back in shape while old man wakes up. He’ll work on techniques and control when you’ve recovered enough. Might as well teach you some sword swinging skills while I’m at it._ **

**_You’ll leave when you’re trained enough. Start preparing.”_ **

The last line caught Ichigo by surprise. He looked up, but as if he had read his mind, Zangetsu said,

**_“You asked for a sign. Do I need to actually need to beat you on the head with a sign before you get it? Get out of this town. Heck, get out of this country. Go on, make use of those stupid gangs whose job you’ve been doing all this time. Call in a debt or something.”_ **

It wasn’t as serious as Zangetsu was making it out to be. After the war, Ichigo got in a lot more fights than before, and in his rage _just happened to decimate the rival gangs a bit._ Powers or no powers, being in a war had made him a lot tougher than your average thug. The local yakuza took him in as an honorary member for protecting their turf. He didn’t object.

In hindsight, it was good that he didn’t.

Maybe he could get a degree in physics in the US. He’s always liked the subject.

_Time to call in a_ favour.

Yuzu was _ecstatic._

Her brother was _alive_ again.

Behind her naïve mask, she understood everything. She _saw everything._

Which also meant that she knew her brother was suffering and she _couldn’t help._ What’s worse is that nobody else was helping either. They _abandoned him._ Two years she watched her brother _fade._ Even her father was proving himself to be the useless goat her twin claimed him to be.

She had been so _disappointed_. 

But something had happened that made her wonderful, _wonderful_ brother happy again. He didn’t show it, but she could practically see him _glowing_ as he buzzed around the town in a flurry of activity.

She wasn’t stupid.

Which is why she knew he was leaving. And as much as she would miss him, she knows that he needs to move on from a town full of people that have only _used_ and discarded him as soon as his use was over.

She knows.

Which is why she’ll let him go and pray that wherever he’s going, he’ll be happy.


	2. the letter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ichigo gets an internship.  
> (Matt is laughing his ass off)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i want to thank HarleHarlequin for suggesting that i add Matt in this story. It was a great Idea and gave me a chance to add more depth in the story.

Chapter 2.

It was two weeks later that old man woke up.

The conversation that followed was filled with a lot of screaming, explanations, apologies and most importantly, acceptance. If there were a few tears involved, well, nobody needs to know that.

Four weeks later Ichigo graduated at the top of his class.

Ishida’s face was a sight to behold, so was his teachers’. Nobody expected it, and that just made it more amusing

A month later, Kurosaki Ichigo disappeared from the face of earth.

A month later, Shiba Ichigo arrived in the US.

Two months later, the accords were set up leading to the civil war. The original Avengers were no longer a team.

**Two Years Later**

In a little comfy apartment in New York, an orange haired figure could be seen dancing around with a piece of paper. He was around six feet in height, had a well-built swimmer’s body and waist length hair tied in pony tail. The hair was something of a tribute to someone he used to know.

Kurosaki Ichigo had changed a lot since he took up the Shiba moniker. He no longer scowled and seemed to have relaxed a lot more in general.

Right now, though, he was celebrating. He had started college and was working for a degree in physics in the ESU, just like he had planned. But that wasn’t the cause of the celebration. It was the Little piece of paper in his hands. He pushed up his glasses, (Zangetsu had decided that manifesting as a walking stick was below him and that even _glasses_ were a better option. Needless to say, Ichigo didn’t let him get out of that) And read it again.

His acceptance letter as a personal intern to _Bruce Banner._

It was probably some sort of publicity stunt to get the media to believe that the hulk was not as wild and unapproachable as he seemed, now that he was back from the impromptu Trip to _somewhere_ with Thor. 

At least that’s what his friend who interns for tony stark says so. Ichigo is almost sure that him getting the internship has to do something with parker putting in a good word for him, with him knowing Bruce and Tony personally. He’s a trustworthy guy so he can vouch for Ichigo.

Ah. Also, that he’s that spiderman guy. But that probably increases his trustworthiness.

Oh no. Parker is not as slick as he believes himself to be. He practically has a neon sign over his head saying he’s more than he’s broadcasting. Rushing out of class to visit the nurse’s office? He’s almost as bad as Ichigo was. Also, the slight tensing of his body when something is about to happen? He’s surprised no one else noticed it.

But I digress.

There were only a very small number of applications for the position, and Ichigo does top his class along with Parker, so that may be why he got the position.

He got the internship. He basically got his future in the field secure.

Oh, He just _had to tell_ Mr. Murdock! 

Life was _finally_ working out for him.

Life _never_ works out for him.

It’s almost hilarious how he gets himself into these sorts of situations.

Peter was Almost sure that Ichigo knew his secret. He had that smug look on his face and that infuriating small smile every time he caught him running in or out of class.

He would hate that bastard if he didn’t like him so much. Uh. He was such a lovable bastard. Which is exactly he’s in this situation right now.

When Ichigo told him, (well, he didn’t exactly tell him. He just overheard him talking to his little sister,) that he had applied for the internship, he couldn’t _not_ put in a good word. Which led to Bruce looking into his resume and liking the kid instantly.

But that’s not the problem here. Bruce had insisted that they have their internship schedule _exactly_ the same, something about needing to have more friends his age. Which meant spending _more_ time with Ichigo. And as much as he liked his company ( _he was like ned and flash rolled into one, and isn’t that a terrifying thought_ ), he didn’t know how many secrets Ichigo could coax out of him. And while he trusted Ichigo enough to not give away anything to _anyone,_ having a person know about you while you know _nothing_ about them is very.. _uncomfortable._

_(hey! Give him some credit! He knows Ichigo Has an adorable little sister! Which is more than what anyone else can claim.)_

Matt has met many people in his life. Its in his job description. (he’s a ~~vigilante~~ lawyer)

So, he can safely claim that he knows to judge a person’s character very well.

But every once in a while, he meets a few people, who lie firmly in the gray category. People who are too messed up to judge.

Like himself.

Like this kid waving a paper in his face as if he can _actually_ _read_ it. Sometimes he can’t even judge if this kid is smart or unbelievably _dumb._

Shiba Ichigo was an enigma.

He met the kid on a rainy day, beating up some thugs who had the _gall to harass a kid._ The boy had officially entered his good books. That was all he saw of him for a week.

The next week, though, he met the kid working part time in his favourite café. He then became something like friends with him, and it didn’t take a lot to see that the kid was sad and needed help.

What was weird, was that the kid refused to talk about himself. His two sisters? He could go on for days about, but himself? Not a peep.

And Matt would be damned if he let a mystery like that unsolved ( _ ~~the kid might be in serious trouble and he wouldn’t be able to help~~_ ~~)~~

So, he snooped around. And found _nothing._ The kid did not exist on _any_ sort of records.

( _Fake_ _Identity_ )

But he knew the kid enough to understand that he wasn’t there to cause trouble, instead he was there to _escape_ it.

Offering a safe haven was the least he could do.

So now, the kid was here whenever something big happened.

( _Mr. Murdock, look I got into ESU!_

_Mr. Murdock, I bought an apartment! They said it was haunted so I got it for super cheap!_

_Mr. Murdock_ , _I got a bike!_

_Mr. Murdock, I baked a cake! (okay maybe he also got him baked stuff but that’s not the point))_

“Mr. Murdock, I got an internship with Dr. Banner!”

Ahh. Good for hi-

“Wait, What? Banner as in _the_ _greatest nuclear physicist of this century_? The one that lives in the Stark tower?”

“Yes!”

“That’s great kid! One step closer to your dream, huh?”

“yup! I gotta go Mr. Murdock, my shift is about to start.”

As the kid walked away, Matt had to supress a snicker. Don’t get him wrong, the kid was as good as they came. But where Shiba goes, trouble follows. The kid was a force of nature. 

Stark had absolutely no Idea what he had invited to his little fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i rushed through the last of Ichigo's schooldays and his process of leaving, but rest assured i will explain them in the future chapter. i do need to write people's reaction to him just up and disappearing.  
> i'll update soon  
> Next Chapter: bruce gets an intern and tony gets more than what he bargained for.


	3. Shiro gets a crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bruce gets a new intern.  
> tony's place as friday's favourite human is threatened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh- so, one of my lovely readers informed me that a direct internship under bruce seems a bit of a stretch, so hopefully this chapter explains it  
> please enjoy!

Chapter 3.

Bruce was nervous.

He was getting an intern. An _intern._

_A kid to guide (a person to lean on)_

He had seen Peter and Tony’s relationship. They were practically parent and child ( _they were each other’s pillars_ )

Bruce had been _jealous._

He had spent a great part of his life running away. Running away from people, from the _monster, from himself._ He never had a chance to form lasting relationships. Tony had been his only friend for a very long time.

So, when this- ‘ _publicity stunt’_ was introduced to him, he jumped at the chance. _(he doesn’t care if the whole world doesn’t like him, just one person is enough)_

_(If even one kid will love him the way that Peter loves Tony, he will be content)_

He wants to say that he was surprised at the unbelievably small amount of applications, but he really, really wasn’t. So, when Peter told him that one of his friends at the university had applied for the position, he was quick to look at said kid’s application.

The kid was good. Good and definitely qualified. ( _apparently, he also had nerves of steel, according to Pete, so it was a point in his favour)_

It didn’t take long for it to be finalized.

The kid was coming _tomorrow._

_(he wasn’t prepared, what do kids like anyway? Chocolate? Everyone likes chocolate, right?)_

Bruce didn’t know that he was going to get exactly what he wanted, just not in the way he expected.

**The next day**

Tony was _amused._

The new kid will be arriving anytime now, and Bruce has not stopped panicking for even a minute.

It’s _hilarious._

Don’t get him wrong, he’s happy that Bruce is excited about this, but seeing a full-grown man running around with bars of _chocolate_ in a messy lab and falling over said mess, will make even _Nick Fury smile._

That’s saying something.

**“Boss, Mr. Banner’s new Intern is here.”**

“Thanks Fri”

“ **Always a pleasure, boss.** ”

_‘Time to check out the new kid’_

Little did Tony know, that this time, he was not going to have the last laugh.

__

Ichigo was standing right outside the gates of the stark tower, hesitating. This wasn’t like him. He didn’t hesitate, he rushed headlong into things.

_So why was he so nervous?_

_“Ichigo, you need to stop standing here_ ”

**_“Yeah king! When did you become such a coward!?”_ **

_‘I’m No coward! I’m just nervous!’_

**_“king if you don’t move_ ** **right now _, I’ll take over and strip you in front of everyone!”_**

**_‘_ ** _what the fuck is wrong with you?! **’**_

_ “what are you surprised about, Ichigo? Such vulgar things are to be expected from this cretin.” _

**_“You wanna fight old man?! I’ll show you who’s the cretin!”_ **

Ichigo tuned out the peanut gallery while absent-mindedly rubbing the scars under his scarf. ( _It had become something of a habit)_ Shiro and old man were right, he had to go in sooner or later, better to do it now.

With a sigh, he walked up to the front desk. The woman sitting there looked at him and smiled,

“how may I help you?”

Ichigo took out the letter from his bag and handed it to the front desk lady.

“I’m here for the Internship with Dr. Banner”

“oh! Welcome to the tower! Mr. stark and Dr. Banner have been expecting you. Friday, please notify them of Mr. Shiba’s arrival.”

“ **Sure, Emily.** ”

“here, your badge. Keep this on you at all times. Your clearance is level 6 with access to Dr. Banner’s labs. Go to floor 93, Friday will give you further directions”

“thanks.”

He moved towards the elevator and got in.

“ **which floor Mr. Shiba?** ”

“oh- uh 93 please”

As the elevator started moving, Ichigo couldn’t stop himself asking,

“hey Friday, uh- are you like the AI spirit of this building?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he blushed hard. It was a stupid question. But Ichigo was far too used to things having spirit to _not_ ask that question. Even if he was only going to be ridiculed for it. So, he wasn’t expecting the response he got.

**“well I suppose I am. Nobody has ever called me that. I like it. I think I’ll get along with you Mr. Shiba.”**

Wow. That’s one thing done right.

_ “She seems nice” _

**_“yeah! I would totally court her if she was a sword!”_ **

That was a mental image Ichigo _did not need._

**“your floor is here Mr. Shiba”**

“just Ichigo, please”

**“okay Ichigo, good luck”** Friday said as the doors opened.

_Time to meet his new boss._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they'll meet in the next chapter dont worry.  
> i promise it'll be hilarious


	4. Bruce cant comprehend what's happening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo will take care of any and all tired people he will meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, this one is a teeny bit smaller than the rest but i think the next one will be longer.  
> please leave a review, and enjoy!

Chapter 4.

Bruce saw his brand-new intern step out of the elevator.

The first thing he noticed was the long hair that reached down his back, even in a pony tail. _(No, he’s not talking about the length, that’s common enough)._ It was honest to god, _traffic cone orange._

_(He thought that he had had his share of wild and weird hair during his time with the grandmaster)_

_“tangerine.”_ Someone whispered,

Oh shit. Not even 5 seconds in and tony is already giving him a nickname _. (One the young man didn’t seem too fond of, judging by that twitching eyebrow)_

The boy tugged on his scarf _(a nervous tic_?) and bowed

“I’m Ichigo Shiba, it’s an honour to meet you.”

“likewise, Ichigo-kun.”

The boy seemed pleasantly surprised at his use of the honorific, ( _he hid in Japan for a while too_ ) but was quick to brush it off.

Not too fond of formality then.

He seemed lost in thoughts while they were walking to Bruce’s lab until Tony, in all his straightforward glory, asked,

“does your name really mean strawberry?”

The boy seemed to stiffen up and get this distant look in his eyes. ( _definitely the wrong question to ask)_ but replied with an affirmative. ( _lie_ )

Tony saw it too and decided to take his leave.

And dump all the awkwardness on Bruce. _Great._

In a bid to lighten the atmosphere, Bruce asked the kid if he wanted chocolate and then proceeded to shove some in the boy’ face. ( _what was he_ thinking?)

As surprising as it sounded, the kid _didn’t_ get creeped out and accepted it.

Everything seemed to proceed smoothly after that. They managed to get some work done ( _Pete was right, the kid is good. He’ll have to give some of those chocolates to him (there’s too many anyway)._ ) and before he knew it, the time for the kid to leave was there.

But instead of leaving, the kid made him some tea ( _why is this kid carrying tea in his bag!?) made_ him drink it, told him to _get some sleep,_ and then dismissed _himself_.

Does this kid not understand authority? Although Bruce didn’t know much, and frankly, _didn’t_ mind, you can’t just walk away like that after _ruffling your mentor’s hair!_

(Bruce won’t admit it, but he slept peacefully _throughout the night._

Damn, what was that tea made of?)

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo took one look at the man and decide to put him in the ‘must protect’ category.

The man looked too damn done with his life. He had dark circles. Did he not know that people needed to sleep?

“ _pot and kettle, Ichigo, pot and kettle_ ”

But before he could think of a scalding remark, somebody ( _Tony_ _Stark_ ) called him a tangerine.

_Tangerine._

**_“your hair colour is obviously closer to that of a traffic cone, what’s he saying about tangerines?”_ **

Ichigo decided to introduce himself instead of standing around and wasting his time with _low lives **( hey!) **_and was surprised to find that the man knew Japanese customs. ( _he was quick to brush it off though._ )

As they were walking to the lab, Ichigo couldn’t help but wonder if Ishida would like this place

**_“aibou you need to stop. They left you behind, you left him behind. Get over it, it’s been two years”_ **

**_“_ ** _ this lowlife is- _ **_”_ **

“does your name really mean strawberry?”

_No-it means one protector-_

_Not anymore (he ignored the indignant squawks from his swords)_

_“_ Yes, it does _”_

Tony decided to take his leave after that leaving his friend to fend for himself.

Bruce decided that shoving chocolates in someone’s face was an appropriate way to make friends. ( _hey, it worked_ )

“ ** _what were you fretting ‘bout king? This guy’s way more nervous than you were._** ”

Bruce unknowingly moved up through Ichigo’s ‘must protect‘ list.

They managed to work together and soon it was time for him to leave.

_Not before getting him to bed._

He made the scientist a cup of tea ( _he always had some, Mr. Murdock gave it him. it helped the panic attacks_ ) and instructed him to _sleep (he used the voice that made even_ Karin _stand down)_

_(When he went back home, he texted Yuzu all about this nice, tired man)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh lord, the first chapter note is not going away whatdoido?


	5. Fragile peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 months in,  
> pepper is suspicious of the new kid (the gratitude of tony meeting his match outweighs that)  
> thor and loki arrive for a friendly (forced in loki's case) visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, i would like to thank all my readers for your wonderful response. (i expected this story to disappear the moment i posted it lol)  
> to all those who took the time to comment, you guys have made my day (my face hurts from smiling so hard)
> 
> now about the chapter, it gets a little intense but the next will be light hearted so rest assured.  
> i hope you enjoy !

Chapter 5.

“Let me get this straight.

You’ve been here, what three months? And you’ve already blown up- what did he blow up Fri?”

“ **the west wing of floor 73, Boss.** ”

“yeah, the west win- Wait, an entire _wing_?! Didn’t you tell me it was just a lab!?”

“ **The lab took up the entire west wing** ”

“That’s _not_ _the_ _same_ ”

“ **Semantics, boss.** ”

“ _Who’s teaching you this?! It’s this- Tangerine, isn’t it?”_

_“_ hey! Building spirit lady is smarter than I’ll ever be. _”_

_“_ **Why, thank you, Ichigo.** _”_

“You’re wooing my Little Friday! Hey, no wait- where are you going! You- can’t just walk away like that! What wer-”

“come on Tony, it’s just a lab. And he wasn’t alone. You blow enough of them anyway, maybe it was our turn to blow some up.”

“Bruce! He’s _corrupted you!_ ”

Pepper knew that Tony was exaggerating. The boy wasn’t _that bad._ Sure, he blew up some stuff, but he never gave her a migraine like Tony and the rest did.

She liked him.

_(It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was finally avenging her by giving_ Tony Stark _a migraine.)_

It was clear to see he was doing wonders for Bruce’s confidence and health.

( _she saw the boy dragging him out to get him something to eat when he was too lost in his research._ )

But as much as she liked him, the boy was… a little _unsettling. (maybe it was how his glasses glinted when he pushed the up (_ almost like a blade _))_

For one, he knew Peter’s secret. _(it was painfully obvious how much his I-know-something-you-don’t smiles ruffled Pete’s feathers)_

The other fact was that _no one_ could sneak up on him.

She knows that some people are just vigilant, but when even Natasha couldn’t get the drop on someone, it firmly crossed the boundaries of _normal._

_(Oh, nothing stopped Natasha from visiting or Clint from infesting the vents. They are used to it by now.)_

She’s gonna have to look into the boy’s records. ( _something just doesn’t fit about him_ )

But after Loki and Thor’s visit ( _that’s a much bigger threat_ )

Yuzu was _happy._

Her brother had facetimed her.

the texts were never enough. She wanted to see him. _(ToHugHimToFeelSafeAgain_ )

but they couldn’t risk anyone knowing that she knew where he was. So, they facetimed each other once every three months when everyone was out for _something._

He’s finally smiling again. He’s whole again. She’s so, so _happy._

_(She wants to be there with him)_

He’s doing so well! He’s got this internship with some big famous scientist!

( _a nice man, from what Onii-chan tells her. Could use some homemade food though._ )

Her brother is content. _She is content._

_(watching all the Shinigami panic so much at his disappearance soothes her ~~cold~~ little heart.)_

_(They deserve it.)_

Loki is _completely against this._

_No, Thor, you buffoon! It doesn’t matter that I was being controlled, I still don’t think the human vermin as worthy of your_ or my _presence!_

But _of_ _course_! Thor doesn’t listen to him!

With all the nonsense going around them, maybe even the _kind,_ _benevolent_ death gods have abandoned them.

_(His kind stopped associating with those bloodthirsty beasts who don the skins of protectors long ago. Purifying souls. What a joke.)_

Huh? What about Hela, you ask?

Ahem. He will make use of some human derogatory terms to explain the situation adequately.

Hela ruled over Niflheim, she hadn’t even _stepped into afterlife_. So that talk about her being the goddess of _Death_ was

_Utter Bullshit._

But that is not the point.

Here he is, outside the tower of Stark, listening to his utter nonsense.

_Reindeer games he says? He will show that useless_ -

What is that peeking out of the lobby?

_Is that orange? Orange hair? Is this mortal the grandmaster’s kin? No, it looks natural (he knows a dye job when he sees it) What is-_

_What are those glasses? They feel like magic- Old, soul magic (contaminated, but soul magic nonetheless). But only one species can use it-_

_Oh._

Oh.

_So, the death gods are still around._

Things just got interesting.

Thor isn’t stupid.

( _hey, brutes have brains too._ )

He knows a ~~death god~~ warrior when he sees one.

But he also knows an exhausted person when he sees one.

( _he’s not the one to judge someone without knowing them. That’s Loki’s job_ )

This ~~boy~~ man ( _that’s no boy_ ) has left the battlefield behind. He longs for days without bloodshed (and agony an _d pain and despair)_.

He won’t disturb this man’s fragile peace.

( _Because that’s what it is._

_Fragile._

_Thor believed he was free too._

_But leaving the battlefield behind does not mean the war won’t come to you._ )

He’ll let the exhausted warrior rest while he can.

They know.

Ichigo was a fool to believe he could hide.

He can see it in their eyes.

They can see what he really is.

_They know._

_He can only hope they won’t give his secret away._

_(maybe harassing Peter about his secret was coming back to bite him in the ass. Somebody up there_ has something against _him.)_

He hates life.

_(Life seems to hate him right back.)_

Oh, fuck, he boiled the tea too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that wraps it up.  
> please comment!  
> ps.- for all those who forgot, ichigo forced zangetsu to manifest as a pair of glasses when shiro said that being a walking stick was below him.


	6. mjolnir lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> exactly as the title says

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there. the fluff i promised.  
> please enjoy

Chapter 6.

It was _cold_.

Kisuke wasn’t talking about the weather. Karakura as a whole was cold. Had been cold since it lost someone important to it what now seems like a lifetime ago.

( _Kisuke was cold_ )

Kurosaki Ichigo had disappeared completely. No one even noticed his absence until it had been three weeks without any news of him. His friends and family claimed that they thought he needed some time alone.

( _he knew Isshin knew otherwise. He just never bothered to take care of his son._ )

The only thing they found of him was a note.

( ** _I’m leaving._**

**_p.s.- I’m taking mom’s cross with me_ **

**_p.p.s.- Try to be less obvious next time._ **

**_Ichigo_** _._ )

Kisuke knew that goddamned poster was going to be a pain.

Anyways, Ichigo was gone, and there was absolutely no way to find him with his reiatsu almost non-existent. _(the boy had taken nothing except that god forsaken cross. No way to track him. Tch, smart kid)_

Try as they might, the Shinigami were not going to find the boy until the got their heads out of that shit they called pride, and asked for human help.

Kisuke will _not help._

He listened to Isshin once. That much was enough.

( _fucking up once was enough, if Ichigo doesn’t want to see their ugly mugs, Kisuke will make sure he is free from their presence._

_That’s the_ least _he can do_ )

Ichigo lost his sun the day mother died.

Karakura lost its sun the day they left Ichigo with a broken soul.

( _it’s so, so cold_ )

Thor and Loki had retired to their rooms as soon as they got to the tower. Or so they said. Well, clearly, they didn’t, considering they _followed Ichigo to his apartment._

_So, now they were lounging on his sofa like they owned it._

“So, Shinigami, why are you he-” He had to interrupt Loki at that.

“I’m not a Shinigami” a moment of silence.

“Elaborate.” Thor commanded. (surprising, considering he had deduced that Thor was here just to watch over Loki from that little guilty and sympathetic glance he had thrown his way.)

Oh well, looks like he can’t bullshit his way out of this if he doesn’t want a vat of snakes thrown at his _only human body. (gigais stopped being an option the day he left)_

He wrapped a blanket around himself and started his angsty and sad story of being made into a weapon and then being thrown away. (getting that off his chest was a lot more soothing than he expected)

Thor looked angry on his behalf and Loki was-

_patting his head?_

“I was abandoned too, you know. I know how you feel.” Loki looked so sad as he said that-

_Aaaaaaand these men are going on his must protect list. Good lord._

So, he proceeded to wrap his still blanket covered hands around the two gods.

Looks like he just acquired new siblings.

_(what is this- Pokémon or something?)_

At least Yuzu would like the new extensions to her family.

“ ** _Hey king, you ain’t gonna introduce us?_** ” Shiro inquired, as he and old man materialized. 

“who are they youngling?”

This prompted another explanation about zampakuto and their spirits. At the end of it all, Loki looked hopeful.

“do you think other weapons have spirits in them?”

“ _If its old enough and has a name”_

He materialized a small box whose contents made Thor balk

“Mjolnir!?” 

“I collected it’s pieces later, you know, as a memento”

The only thing that was not shattered was its hilt. _(almost like zangetsu after the fight with Byakuya)_ Shiro touched it and chuckled

_“ **They don’t like me, king** ”_

_“it can be repaired!?”_ The hope in Thor’s eyes almost _hurt._

_“_ they _can be_ healed, _yes, there is hope. But you’ll have to figure it out yourself”_

“That much is enough”

( _at least somebody had a happy ending._ )

Ichigo needs a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at least kisuke has some sense.( he was always the smartest)  
> Please comment!


	7. Protecting the protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rogue avengers arrive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this chapter is more people being baffled at the turn of events than anything else.  
> peter is immensely amused.  
> hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7.

Pepper is not surprised.

_At all._

She just didn’t expect- okay, maybe she is a bit surprised, _so what?_

Her surprise is not going to change the fact that Thor, Loki and Ichigo are suddenly the best of friends or that a few days ago, _they came into the tower together, when the previous day they didn’t even know each other._

_Or that they look ready to murder anyone that so much as looks at the kid wrong._

At least, she isn’t the only one that is taken by surprise ( _Tony and Bruce need to pick up their jaws off the ground. It’s unsightly_ )

It doesn’t matter. As long as Loki’s homicidal tendencies are in control, she’s gonna ignore Ichigo’s fake identity fiasco.

( _at least that wasn’t a surprise. He was probably some runaway who had a few connections. Matt Murdock had reassured her._ )

She’s going to need all the help she can get to deal with the rogue- The remaining avengers. She didn’t like it, but those guys were made to sign the accords and then _Freed. (As if they hadn’t almost killed Tony and Rhodey)_

_They were coming today._

_Today._

She only hopes things don’t get out of hand.

( _she’s conveniently going to forget they weren’t in her hands to begin with_ )

Steve is hopeful.

Bucky is not sure why he’s even here.

Clint is in the vents.

Wanda- _is she sleeping??_

Ichigo is contemplating if he has seen this tired and exasperated man somewhere.

_(It’s absolute chaos in this elevator)_

Ichigo decides that he’s going to help this tired looking man with his luggage.

“Here, let me help you with that’

Bucky and Steve can’t even begin to comprehend how this kid just lifted the bag that weighs at least a ton from all that stuff _and Bucky’s spare arm in it??_

_(apparently Ichigo forgot that people don’t usually heave around swords bigger than themselves.)_

“What floor are you getting off at?”

“9-93”

“Oh? me too!”

_But that’s the penthouse?? Nobody except the avengers and their close associates can even get there?? Who is this kid??_

Suddenly the doors open and Ichigo hands the bag back to Bucky.

“welcome back, capsi- Tangerine? what _are you doing standing there? get here!_ ”

Loki proceeds to drag the kid behind him and thor-

_What’s going on??_

_Oh, this is amazing, its beautiful, so good, this is what he lives for-_

“Shuri, give me the popcorn” she hands it over.

Ah, as he was saying-

_The rogue avengers are here and its an absolute clusterfuc- fudge._

Ever since Ichigo started interning here a month ago, it’s been absolute _chaos_. This was bound to happen sooner or later, but this is so much better than what he imagined.

Although the expressions on the captain and his posy’s face is _amazing,_ It’s Ichigo’s misery he’s absolutely enjoying. Thor has been babying him and _Ichigo cannot comprehend it._ And even better, Mr. _Loki_ is encouraging it.

Even now, He looks so confused, it’s hilarious.

( _only in a twisted way, though. It looks like his friend doesn’t know what being cared about feels like._

_It’s Ok. They can fix that._ )

The next few weeks are going to be _amazing._

_What’s going on?? Why are they hiding him behind themselves?? What’s going on??_

_“ **It’s called being protected from something they deem dangerous. One would think you’d know all about it. It’s fucking sad** ”_

_‘But that’s my job!’_

_“ there’s still a lot for you to learn about, Ichigo. In time, maybe, you’ll learn what healthy relations are.”_

_(In time, maybe Ichigo could completely heal the wound in his soul._

_All in good time.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that wraps it up!  
> i wont be posting twice a day anymore, but the following chapters will be longer and hopefully better than the previous ones.  
> please review!


	8. the calm before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start getting real

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so one of my readers told me that the POV gets a bit confusing.  
> so i hope this chapter doesnt have that issue.  
> Please enjoy!

_Chapter 8._

Steve was impressed.

Somebody was actually troublesome enough to give _Tony_ gray hair. And there’s _three of them_. Peter, Shuri and Ichigo were chaos incarnate. Both the interns had a tendency to blow things up, while the princess would appear at random intervals and encourage them.

It was adorable how closely knit the group was. But what Steve did not understand was their closeness with the _avengers._

The avengers were practically overprotective mother hens to the trio. And it wasn’t just one way, no sir. The children didn’t trust Steve and his group ( _except Clint and Natasha, but nobody hates those two_ ) and practically radiated killing intent when they were in the room.   
Peter, he could understand, with him being spiderman. ( _and wasn’t that a slap to the face? He dropped a loading dock on a child_ ) and Shuri, to some extent, considering she was trained by the Dora Milaje. But the carrot top?

That kid was as soft a human could be. Snarky yes, but his kindness was painfully obvious in the way he babied everyone.  
( _he means everyone. The ginger has to drag tony kicking and screaming, but he begrudgingly does it. He has been eyeing Bucky lately. Steve will bet his best pencils and sketchbook that in two days, Bucky will be the newest addition to Ichigo’s ‘family’. How he manages to do it in the few hours he’s here, he’ll never know._ )  
(It’s almost _inspiring_ )

So why was he the scariest of them all?   
_(then there was that incident with the bag in the elevator. No, he hasn’t forgotten)_

He’s gonna have to watch this kid closely.

Natasha doesn’t get it.

There’s nothing on this kid. Absolutely nothing.

His records are all dead ends ( _fake_ ), his apartment has nothing notable except that pretty silver bracelet and an _abundance_ of scarves, she can’t sneak up on him, and everything else that can be accessed through local means, _Matthew Murdock_ is protecting like a _dragon_.

No matter what she said to him, he would not let loose even a speck of information, going as far to ensure not even the coffee shop the boy worked at would not give her any information.

It was _irritating._

Anybody else, she would have reported to shield and probably had them detained until something _was_ found, but she _liked_ the kid.   
( _lets conveniently forget that Bruce would be out for her blood if he ever found out._ )

She’s gonna find out one way or the other.

( _she doesn’t know she won’t have to wait for long_ )

Sorcerer supreme Stephen Strange was having a dilemma.

It was two years ago that he had met Kurosaki Ichigo.  
Of course, he had heard tales of the heroic slaying moon. ( _he always thought the name was much more pretentious than his own. At least until he met the man in question. Then it was a different story altogether_ )

A human who had that much power could hardly ever remain unknown.  
a man who sacrificed that power ( _along with his soul. He knows what a sword is to their Shinigami_ ) to preserve the stability of the universe, is one Stephen respects greatly.

Needless to say, Stephen was surprised when he had to confront the boy in all his soul reaping glory in New York, of all places. His powers were far from gone, in fact, even when suppressed, it was stifling-

_Suffocating._

The boy had been surprisingly cooperative to his questions and had told him his reasons for being there.

Stephen was seething when he found out that this noble warrior had been so harshly mistreated. He vowed to let the boy have the peace that he so desperately wished for.

Which brings us here.

He needs _help._

_All_ the help he can get.

As much as he wants to leave Kurosaki alone, he has seen the futures in which he has done just that.

If he left Thanos be, the worlds would fall apart. They would be _destroyed._

The soul reapers would not step in the matters of the living, and that left one option.

The convenient loophole.

He will have to get Kurosaki involved.

But before that, it’s time to pay the avengers a visit.

Tony is having the time of his life.

The chaotic trio tm is finally tormenting someone else. He might just forgive Clint for betraying him if he distracts the hellions a few more days. ( _He has to plan his wedding with pepper and then the reintroduction of the rogue avengers as heroes.)_

He also needs some well-deserved time off-

“Tony stark, I am Dr. Stephen Strange. We need to talk.”

Did this guy just step out of a _portal_? _In the middle of their movie Friday?_

_“_ I don’t care who you are. Get out of here before we kick you out _”_

Everyone, bless their hearts, gets in formation behind him.

“This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves. A madman named Thanos is planning to wipe out half of existence and he needs the Infinity stones, _three of which are on earth._

He will _tear this planet down_ to get them if he has to.”

Well

Well shit.

“how do we know you’re not lying?” _ah, Natasha. Always suspicious._

“Just ask your Asgardian friend over there if he has heard of any such thing.”

Every one looked at Thor and Loki

“we thought it was just an overexaggerated rumour”

“You should have told us anyway!” Oh, looks like the capsicle has a point here 

“hey! Quit it! They had enough on their plates anyway!” Tangerine exclaimed, while standing ahead of the Asgardian siblings, as if shielding them. ( _come to think of it, he was oddly quiet during the whole conversation. He usually has a lot to say_ )

“Kid you don’t know anything-”

All of a sudden, the wizard looked like somebody had slapped him. He whispered

“you’re here too”

_Tangerine looks like someone killed his dog-_

Do they have some sort of history?

Whatever the case was, Clint decided he had had enough of standing around.

“can we all just sit down and talk like normal people?”

Good Idea.

“princess and underoos. To your rooms. Take Tangerine with you-”

“No. we need him too.”

Is this wizard out of his mind? He’s not getting a kid involved in this no matter what-

“Kurosaki Ichigo, you need to stop hiding. The earth needs you.”

Kurosaki- _what??_

The Shiba- now apparently Kurosaki just held his head in his hands.

The kid looks like he needs a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things start getting intense.  
> next chapter: the big reveal.  
> not a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but the next chapter will be filled with it.  
> please review!


	9. the truth comes to light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the avengers find out the truth.  
> Ichigo finds a new family in them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is mostly fluff and Ichigo being embarrassed at his past actions.  
> I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 9.

_“Kurosaki Ichigo, you need to stop hiding. The earth needs you.”_

Ichigo must have been an asshole worse than Aizen in his past life. Because all of this? This is definitely karma from a past life.

2 years he had lived in peace, only for it to shatter because some fuckface decided to wipe out half of existence.

Does his face have ‘ _will defeat narcissistic megalomaniacs’_ written on it?

Who did he piss off so bad?

It doesn’t matter now, though.

Shiba Ichigo has to go to sleep for a while,  
Kurosaki Ichigo has some people and a fucking planet to protect.

\-------(third person POV)-------

Ichigo still had his face in his hands and had sunk down into the nearest chair.

“Ichigo, what’s going on? Do you know this man?” Bruce asked timidly.

Ichigo absently waved a hand at Stephen.  
“go ahead. do the honours.” He said and looked around at everyone “You might want to take a seat. It’s going to be a long fucking story”

Everyone was shocked. Ichigo _never_ cursed. They followed his advice anyway and Stephen began.

“A few years ago, the spirit realm’s warriors-”

“The spirit realm? You mean the dead or- I dunno, elemental spirits?”

“I mean the dead, Mr. Barton, don’t interrupt me please.  
The spirit realm’s warriors, the death gods, had a traitor amongst them. The man Had hoped to overthrow their lord and sovereign, the soul king.”

“he didn’t succeed, right?” Steve asked hopefully.

“He didn’t. At the same time that the traitor decided to make his move, four teenagers with powers, one of which was a substitute death god, along with a cat, decided to invade the fortress that these warriors resided in, hoping to save their friend who was being unjustly executed.  
Although it turned out to be the traitor’s plan to obtain a wish granting device, it caused the teens to become allies with the spirit realm.”

“Why do you know _that_ detail?” Ichigo looked horrified.

“Everyone loves gossip.  
so anyway, this development caused the traitor to take interest in one of the humans of the group, who had the powers to reverse time. Needless to say, he abducted them”

“I can see why he would do that. But let me guess, the kids decided to invade some fortress again?” Tony snarked.

Ichigo looked ready to dig himself a hole. Nobody noticed that, though.

Stephen was amused “they did, actually. The spirit realm had declared the human a traitor, so the teens decided to take matters in their hands, and rushed to invade the hollow world this time.  
Surprisingly, they managed to get their friend out, while also killing or defeating a few of the traitor’s strongest soldiers.  
They went back to the living world, only to find out that the traitor had been prepared to blow up their entire town so that he could create the key to the King’s realm.  
the death gods had managed to stall him and his remaining army in a fake version of the town.  
the war then began full force.  
The substitute death god managed to take down the traitor in by sacrificing his powers. The spirit realm then returned to peace, and everything was back to normal”

“Normal?! How could they use a human child to kill off _their_ problems?! All of those children must be traumatised _for_ _life!_ ” Steve was appalled

“Leave child sacrificing cowards aside for a moment. Where does Tangerine fit in this? Were you the one they abducted Tangerine?” Tony asked.

Everyone got this sad or understanding look in their eyes. Natasha looked at him and asked,

“are you here to escape the guilt? Did you not want to see your friend left without their powers?”

Ichigo and the Asgardian siblings found that incredibly amusing. Even Stephen was suppressing a smirk. Finally, he spoke up.

“Actually, _he_ was the substitute death god.”

Cue the bamboozled looks on everyone’s faces. 

“You are- _a god_?”

“did you actually _invade a fortress_?”

“Didn’t you lose your powers?”

All of these questions were to be expected. Ichigo took a deep breath and answered them one by one.

“No, I’m not a god- at least not a full one.  
yes, I invaded a fortress and I know it was stupid.  
I did lose my powers, but temporarily. Apparently being a hybrid saved me.”

“Why are you here then? Shouldn’t you be with the people you sacrificed so much for?” Bruce looked heartbroken as he said that. _he didn’t want the kid to leave._ Ichigo saw this and walked over to Bruce. He held his hands and said,

“I’m here because they abandoned me after my use was over. They left me alone for two years.  
I came here to escape that place, and instead I found a family” he hesitated a bit, “that is, if you’ll have me.”

Everyone looked a bit taken back. _They abandoned a person who sacrificed so much for them?_

Well it’s a good thing that the avengers aren’t that stupid then.  
they know loyalty, and the kid had already done so much for them.

It wasn’t really a difficult decision.

“you don’t have to ask, kid.” Tony said.

The smile that Ichigo had on his face was blinding. And they didn’t know who started it, but soon they were all tumbling down the floor in a huge group hug.

Maybe, things weren’t so bad after all.  
Now they only have a deranged alien to beat.

\------------------------------

Ichigo was _content._

The avengers had _accepted_ him.

He had found people who had liked him for _himself.  
_but he was always afraid that they would reject him when they found out about his past.

They _didn’t_. they had accepted him, for everything that he was.  
He had _family_ now.  
And Ichigo would be _damned_ if he let some asshole hurt what was _his._

_(He tore open hell to save his family once, and he wasn’t afraid to do so twice._

_What was some madman in front of that?)_

Thanos was going to die a sad death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there. that was my pathetic attempt at dialogue  
> next chapter: training (showing off skills) and a long due conversation with matt.  
> please review!


	10. steve gets his ass kicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what the title says. oh and natasha being frustrated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh- so more fluff and some show off, because that is what i live for

Chapter 10

Natasha was stumped. _Again._

The first thing she did was look up the kid once she knew his real name, just because she could. But this time, it wasn’t because there was nothing, it was because of what _little_ she did _find._

The orange headed kid scowling (wow _, that looks like a default expression, he’ll get along with fury_ ) in the photograph was something shield would jump to recruit, powers or no powers.  
  


The kid was _notorious.  
_constantly getting into fights and then winning them even when the odds were against him seemed to be routine for the kid. The local delinquents quaked at his name, and the ones who were stupid enough not to, learned pretty quick.  
( _the local yakuza saw him as an honorary member. An amazing feat, considering yakuza don’t really do_ honorary _anything_ )

But other than that, the kid had absolutely nothing out of place. Nada. _Zilch._

_(except disappearing for weeks, but come on the kid had to go to the spirit realm, that’s completely reasonable.)_

It would be hilarious if it wasn’t her that was dealing with this. She’s gonna find something other than the barebones that strange had given them.

Maybe the training session today will help some.

\----------------------

Steve was sceptical.

The kid- no young _man,_ had challenged him to a spar.  
and instructed him to use all his strength behind the blows.

Now, don’t get him wrong, he isn’t underestimating the kid. But he is a lot stronger than the average human, so he has the right to be at least a little worried.  
strange says that _he should be the one being careful._

( _well considering the impressive display of strength in the elevator, may be Steve should be careful._ )

Ichigo walked into the gym wearing a sleeveless tank top and-  
_(wow, he’d never seen the kid wearing something other than full sleeves and scarves.)_

There’re scars on every inch of his skin. Even his neck has this long scar that extends who knows how far under his clothes almost-

_-Like he was cut in half._

The kid finishes his stretches grabs his glasses and looks at him with a crooked smirk

“shall we begin?” 

“where is your weapon?” did the kid plan on fighting with his _glasses?_

“hmm? They’re right here” he holds up his glasses and it’s like they-

_Bleed into the forms of two swords-_

They’re oversized trench and Khyber knives-

_Well no wonder the kid was able to lift all that heavy shit like it was nothing!_

If those swords weigh anything they look like, then Steve is gonna be using his shield a lot, lest he wants _to lose a hand._

They get started, and after the first hit, the only thing Steve can think is-  
_Good thing the kid is on our side_

_\--------------------------------_

Tony is worried.

The kid looks like someone put him through a _shredder._ He wants to do the same thing to the one who did that.

_(the kid probably already did that, considering how close he looks to beating the shit out of Steve with those gigantic kitchen knives)_

The spar ends when Steve hits the ground, losing his shield.  
_(wow, the kid did beat his ass.)_

Steve looks up at him and says,

“wow, you’re tough. do your powers make you that strong?”

Ichigo looked sheepish,

“actually, no. I can’t use my powers in my human body, or else I’ll probably tear the muscles in it. And I’m going to avoid leaving my body for as long as I can. I’m going to be detected in an instant that way.”

So, the kid was holding back.  
_holding back._

_Normal_ , tony was starting to learn, _was not a word in tangerine’s dictionary._

_\----------------------------------_

Matt was definitely not surprised. _Nope, not at all._

He had known that Ichigo would eventually share his real identity with him, but he didn’t think it was going to be so soon.  
no, leave that aside, he wasn’t expecting to hear that the kid was a _death god_ of all things.

But that wasn’t the problem here. The problem is that the avengers had gotten the kid involved with them, and it was more than likely going to ruin the kid’s hard-work to date.

He knows that they didn’t exactly have a choice, but the people Ichigo had been hiding from are going to find him, and It’s going to be unpleasant.

If he could, Matt would wrap the kid in a blanket and keep him hidden from the world. But that is not what the kid wants, and so he will respect that.

Wait- now that he thinks about it…

“hey Ichigo?”

“hmm? What is it?”

“didn’t you say the apartment you bought was cheap because it was haunted?”

“I- I did? Haha- ha what a lucky coincidence!”

“Ichigo, what did you do?”

“I may or may not have convinced the ghost to haunt that apartment because the real estate guy was trying to rip me off-”

Tch. Smart kid.

Matt laughed, startling him.

_Yeah, Ichigo is gonna be just fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cannot write fight scenes for the life of me, so i didnt. i will, in the future chapters, but i need some practice first.  
> that's it!  
> please review!


	11. Not a chapter

* * *

Hello lovely readers,

I'm extremely sorry for disappointing all those who have been waiting, but I won't be posting today and tomorrow.

I promise to make up for it the next time I post.

(For all those who might be wondering, i may or may not have sprained my wrist while exercising)

So- uh, see you?

PS. Ignore that chapter note at end. That little shit has been there since the first chapter and it refuses to leave no matter what I do


	12. ...I Live.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fluff and angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... I swear I have an explaination.

**4 years ago.**  
  
The Urahara Shoten was an old, old building. Minute cracks were running down the concrete walls, nothing that would cause any real damage to the structure, but still there as a testament to the years the Shoten had seen.  
It was a fairly interesting building if Ichigo was being honest.  
  
Still, staring at the same thing for three hours, two of which were raining, was not entertaining at all.   
It was a rather stupid endeavor to try an out-stubborn Urahara of all people.   
(depressing too, that he had to, but Ichigo would swallow his favorite first edition copy of Harry Potter before admitting that.)  
  
He just wanted to know why everyone was avoiding him all of a sudden. If it was an order from central 46 or something, the least they could do was give him a heads up. It would be a hard pill to swallow but it wasn’t like he wouldn’t understand if its their lives on the line.  
  
He had thought that if he waits in front of the Shoten long enough, _somebody_ would give.

nobody did.  
  
Drenched to the bone, Ichigo went home with an oath to never come back.  
  
(Behind the doors of the Shoten, Kisuke hunched a little more under the shame.)  
…………………………………………….  
**Present-day**.  
  
(Tony’s POV)  
_  
“Ichigo it is flooding again! You must control your emotions- “_  
  
Tangerine was lounging on the couch scowling at his coffee as if it had offended him. But that wasn’t the problem here. There was a man. Scolding the orange-haired menace.  
now normally tony would be over the moon that someone had managed to get the rowdy intern to stop being a nuisance.  
But.  
  
The man was floating a foot above the air, cloak and longish hair swaying in a non-existent wind.  
in the air.   
last he remembered vision couldn’t change forms like that. So cryptic sunglasses man is an unknown. Time to change that.  
  
“Hey tangerine, mind explaining the floating man?”  
  
The kid looks up, looking thankful for the distraction. The floating man gives tony the stink eye for interrupting him and goes up in smoke.  
  
w h a t?  
  
Tangerine takes pity on him and explains,  
  
“you remember my swords?”  
  
“the butcher knives?”  
  
“Yeah. That was one of them. He also hates you for calling him that and wants to inform you that it wasn’t his fault he looks like that.”  
  
. . .  
  
“Your sword is a person? Who got offended because I called him a butcher knife?”  
  
“yeah”  
  
‘One of them’ implies there is another. Two people who are swords and apparently also the glasses that rest on the kid’s face.  
Too early. Far too early.   
he should just go back to sleep and pretend that this just did not happen.

Yeah, sleep sounds good.  
……………………..  
  
(Mjolnir’s POV)  
  
Mjolnir is one of the oldest and mightiest weapons to ever exist. She has destroyed many civilizations and slain numerous monsters. She has blessed as many as she has wreaked havoc on.  
She was forged in the heart of a star to accompany a god in his many adventures.  
  
A god she watched grow from a boy to one worthy of her approval.  
  
Mjolnir is as much a warrior as any Asgardian. She is loyal, brave, and glorious.

  
She deserves the highest of pedestals.   
  
Mjolnir is currently in a food-grade Tupperware box and she does NOT approve!  
  
It doesn’t matter that she is currently in pieces! The audacity of that puny frost giant!   
And Thor! That fool did not even have the curtsy to gather her pieces and store them in a worthy container until they could restore her!  
  
Mjolnir is wielded only by those she deems worthy and a Tupperware box is decidedly NOT worthy!  
  
She will make Thor grovel before she even considers speaking to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post a complete explanation behind my disappearance in the next update.  
> until then, go ahead and curse me in the comments section. I deserve it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo looks back on life a bit and Wanda looks down on Ichigo's disguise skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the explanation I promised. at the end of the chapter.

Ichigo is happy.

Ichigo has never been happy since after his mother’s death.  
  


He has had too many responsibilities to ever move on from the grief. Initially, he had taken to haunting the riverside his mother and he had walked by every day. Hoping to find her ghost, he waited there day and night. When it became clear she wasn’t going to show up, he had lost himself in the memories of good times.

He walked home one day to see that his sisters were _crying and hungry_ with their father _nowhere in sight._  
That was the last day he went to the riverside.  
He had to juggle school and being a parent and brother to his sisters at nine. (because Goat Face is a lot of things, but a good parent isn’t one of them)  
Just because the trauma isn’t expressing itself overtly, doesn’t mean it’s gone

The wounds had healed over.  
They just didn’t heal over _right_.

From a mild-mannered chatterbox with a tendency to cry at the smallest things, Ichigo turned into a person who only expressed anger and annoyance.

Any positive emotions were limited to his little girls.

Such was the case even now.

Yuzu and Karin were graduating and he was going to attend.

In fact, he was on the plane. A private plain because the avengers were _all_ tagging along. Something about not being safe enough which he doesn’t really understand because he has regained enough of his mild-mannerism to not get recognized by how he acts and will be going there in a disguise. (a very good disguise if Ichigo says so himself)

He was only going to attend the ceremony and then meet the girls in the hotel room. (Yuzu cooked up the excuses for herself and Karin of course, smart girl.)

_(Wanda looks a little sad. Maybe he should get a gift for her while he's with the girls? one can never have too many sisters)_

................................

(Wanda POV)

Wanda had a brother. A brother who is now dead.

She is still grieving, but knowing that Pietro died smiling gives her some relief.  
 _(he didn't die terrified, hiding under that bed, waiting for the bomb to detonate. he made his own choice. Wanda will respect her brother's choice)_

Her grief isn't the point of focus here. The point is, she knows where Ichigo is coming from. He wants to see his sisters graduate and Wanda can get behind that.  
The only problem is the disguise. 

This fool thinks he can get away with hair gel and his glasses. ( _isn't he supposed to be smart? what is this behavior? where did he learn this stupidity?)_

_Also, why does he look like he's going to wrap her in that blanket?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that explanation I promised.  
> Some context first though.  
> So, I was supposed to start college last year. Which was delayed because the last few exams got postponed. Now, fortunately, my exams were not a part of those last few.  
> Which, you know, means that I was done with them.  
> So, I started writing to pass the time.  
> Since the pandemic was not slowing down at all and the quarantines began in earnest, my family and I decided it would be better to just take a break that year and just start college this year. This should give me more free time, right?  
> Wrong.  
> The catch here was online coaching classes to keep me from getting rusty. It was, and still is, a very wonderful idea as entrance exams are nasty no matter the country.
> 
> Now, the problem.  
> The classes were more demanding than my school was, and considering I barely had a 50% attendance in the school itself, I was not handling the workload well.  
> I was far too tired to write in whatever little free time I had.  
> That’s it. Now that I can (finally) deal with things in an organized way, I have started writing again.  
> I won’t be updating every day but I won’t leave everyone hanging either.  
> Your kind words and encouragement have helped me a lot and I hope that through this story I can bring a smile to your face in return.  
> Thank you for understanding.


	14. big sister?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter fought me every. step. of. the. way.

**Karin POV**

Karin admired her brother. She practically worshipped him (without the sappy stuff that accompanied it, because no.)

When her mother was alive, she looked up to him as a role model. He was the very image of all that was kind and good.  
Then her mother died and took her father along with her.  
Ichi-nii picked up the pieces of their family and raised them by himself all while putting up with the Goat fucker’s abuse.  
she looked up to his strength and his ability to deal with his emotions.

Then soul society happened. Her brother wore himself down while looking after the family and kill those ugly abominations. But he was content in a way she hadn’t seen in a long, long time. He got himself almost killed a few times because of his newfound powers, _then_ he proceeded to lose said powers in some self-sacrificial move from the abyss.

Then came the depression.  
Karin had decided it was high time to _do_ something. Her own powers were developing, and if she could protect her family, surely Ichi-nii would be happier? Right?

Not really, no.

She ended up rubbing salt all over his wounds.

So, when her brother left without a word once he deemed them old enough ( _and had had enough_ ), she had no right to whine.

(that did not stop her from whining about it)

Now nearly five years later, she’s about to graduate high school. She’d always imagined her brother cheering for her and yuzu as they got their degrees but now, he was nowhere to be seen.  
his _friends_ are sitting there in his stead as if that changes how they abandoned him with nary a word-

Her _father_ is hollering some sort of nonsense and Karin can’t be bothered to care.

What she can pay attention to, is that really suspicious group hanging around the corner of the hall. See, Karakura is a place that has, like, absolutely no chill. Yakuza and soul reapers have done a wonderful job of desensitizing people to what is normal over the decades.

(people don’t really _just_ _forget_ that funky shopkeeper man has been around for a long, long time without aging a day. Not to mention blondie-locks-who-can’t-afford-a-proper-haircut and his merry band of degenerates)

You can just burst out of a window wearing leopard prints and no one will blink an eye. So, it looks _really_ suspicious when some very normal-looking tourists just pop up to a school ceremony.

But in a weird twist of events, people take this in stride too.

Oh look, it’s her turn to take the glorified paper roll.

**Yuzu POV**

It was finally the day! Ticket to college in one hand and unruly twin in another, Yuzu ran off to the hotel suite she had booked earlier.

She would be meeting her brother after so long!

It was quite a shock when he abruptly announced that he was going to be in town to celebrate with them. Keeping it from Karin while making all the excuses was a chore and a half, but she managed.

She had noticed the unusual group hanging around the ceremony and had assumed that was the group her brother had come with. She did not spot any man even remotely resembling her brother, but he must be laying low until the meeting. She could totally get that.

So here she is in front of the hotel, staring down at this really tired and looking man.

He sort of looks like what Ichi-nii described his mentor to look like. And _whoa!_ he wasn’t exaggerating, this man really needs a good sleep. And chocolate. You can’t go wrong with that. Really, Karin doesn’t even know what she’s doing here and even she can share the sentiment.

On to what she was here for.  
“ Dr. Banner? Are you here to receive us?”

Nice tired man looks close to tears for some reason but speaks up, “ah, yes. Yuzu and Karin, I presume?”

Ah, what a cinnamon roll.

At Karin’s bemused nod, he led them to a big suite with what looked like the shady group from the ceremony. Her twin was immediately on guard but before she could demand to know who these people were, they were swept up in a warm hug by what could only be their brother.

When they were let go, they could see him.

And wow, what a sight.

A very pretty woman with long orange hair was beaming at them like they hung the stars in the sky.

_It was their big bro- sister?? Big sister? Ichi-nee? Was this a disguise?_

Karin’s line of thought derailed a bit, it seemed, when she spoke up.

“Ichi-nii- nee? You’re here! Is this why you left? Did you think we wouldn’t accept you?!? We love you whether you are a man or a woman!” and then she glomped him.

Well. Well, she’s not wrong about the acceptance part. But everything else…  
The incredulous look on her ( _bro- sis-?)_ _Elder_ _sibling’s_ face _,_ suggests all of that is a bit off the mark. And the suppressed laughter from the two females of the group suggests that this was their doing.

Yuzu will not blame them. Her _elder sibling_ is indeed a very fine specimen.

Ichigo gently peeled her from him- _them_ and cleared up things a bit. “well, nice to meet you too. Yuzu, wipe that smirk off your face. Karin, this is a disguise and my preferred pronouns remain unchanged.”

Their audience burst into laughter.

_This was certainly not the teary reunion she imagined_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> karIN AND YUZU ARE GOOD SISTERS AND SUPPORT THEIR ELDER SIBLING NO MATTER WHAT.

**Author's Note:**

> so that wraps up the first chapter. i'll try to get done with the next one as soon as possible.  
> please comment!


End file.
